Fold and tumble mechanism for a vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom, a seat back and a floor latch associated with the seat bottom. The seat further includes a recliner arrangement including a recliner bracket connected to the seat bottom, a back side bracket connected to the seat back, and a recliner connected to the recliner bracket and the back side bracket and configured to allow the seat back to pivot. The seat also includes a fold and tumble mechanism having a support bracket fixedly connected to the back side bracket, an actuating member pivotally connected to the support bracket, and a rocker member pivotally connected to the recliner bracket and connected to a latch cable associated with the floor latch. The actuating member is engageable with the rocker member when the seat back is pivoted forwardly to cause the rocker member to pivot and pull on the latch cable, which releases the floor latch.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a fold and tumble mechanism for a vehicleseat.

BACKGROUND

Prior vehicle seat designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,494,186 and8,544,956.

SUMMARY

A vehicle seat according to one aspect of the disclosure includes a seatbottom, a seat back that is pivotable with respect to the seat bottom,and a floor latch associated with the seat bottom. The seat furtherincludes a recliner arrangement including a recliner bracket connectedto the seat bottom, a back side bracket connected to the seat back, anda recliner connected to the recliner bracket and the back side bracketand configured to allow the seat back to pivot with respect to the seatbottom. In addition, the seat includes a fold and tumble mechanismhaving a support bracket fixedly connected to the back side bracket, anactuating member pivotally connected to the support bracket, and arocker member pivotally connected to the recliner bracket and connectedto a latch cable associated with the floor latch. The actuating memberis engageable with the rocker member when the seat back is pivotedforwardly to cause the rocker member to pivot and pull on the latchcable, which releases the floor latch so that the seat bottom may pivotupwardly.

A vehicle seat according to another aspect of the disclosure includes aseat bottom, a seat back that is pivotable with respect to the seatbottom, and a floor latch associated with the seat bottom. The seatfurther includes a recliner arrangement including a recliner bracketconnected to the seat bottom, a back side bracket connected to the seatback, and a recliner connected to the recliner bracket and the back sidebracket and configured to allow the seat back to pivot with respect tothe seat bottom. In addition, the seat includes a fold and tumblemechanism having an actuating member pivotally connected directly to theback side bracket, and a rocker member pivotally connected to therecliner bracket and connected to a latch cable associated with thefloor latch. The actuating member is engageable with the rocker memberwhen the seat back is pivoted forwardly to cause the rocker member topivot and pull on the latch cable, which releases the floor latch sothat the seat bottom may pivot upwardly.

While exemplary embodiments are illustrated and disclosed, suchdisclosure should not be construed to limit the claims. It isanticipated that various modifications and alternative designs may bemade without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat according to thedisclosure in a design use position, wherein the seat includes a seatbottom and a seat back pivotally attached to the seat bottom;

FIG. 2 shows the seat in a folded and tumbled position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the seat with trim and padding removedto show a fold and tumble mechanism according to the disclosure mountedon an inboard side of the seat;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing details ofthe fold and tumble mechanism;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of an outboard sideof the seat showing a recliner lever that is usable to release arecliner arrangement to allow the seat back to fold forwardly withrespect to the seat bottom;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the inboard side of theseat showing the fold and tumble mechanism;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view similar to FIG. 6 showingthe seat back pivoted slightly forward with respect to the seat bottomso that an actuating member of the fold and tumble mechanism engages arocker member of the fold and tumble mechanism;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side view similar to FIG. 7 showingthe rocker member pivoted rearwardly due to engagement with theactuating member;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary side view similar to FIG. 8 showingthe seat back in a full folded position such that the actuating memberis disengaged from the rocker member;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the seat showing the seat back foldedforwardly against the seat bottom to form a load floor;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary side view similar to FIG. 9 showingthe seat back moved away from the seat bottom so that the actuatingmember is engaged with the rocker member;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary side view similar to FIG. 11 showingthe seat back moved further rearwardly so that the actuating member isrotated forwardly due to engagement with the rocker member;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary side view similar to FIG. 12 showingthe seat back returned to its design use position, with the actuatingmember disengaged from the rocker member;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the outboard sideof the seat showing details of the attachment of the recliner lever toand outboard recliner assembly of the recliner arrangement;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the recliner lever and outboardrecliner assembly shown in FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of a second embodiment ofthe fold and tumble mechanism according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments are disclosed herein; however, it isto be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary andthat various and alternative forms may be employed. The figures are notnecessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized toshow details of particular components. Therefore, specific structuraland functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted aslimiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilledin the art.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle seat 10 according to the disclosure mounted on afloor 12 of a motor vehicle and positioned in a use position. The seat10 includes a seat bottom 14, a seat back 16 that is pivotable withrespect to the seat bottom 14, and a recliner arrangement 18 associatedwith the seat bottom 14 and seat back 16 and configured to allow theseat back 16 to pivot with respect to the seat bottom 14. In addition,the seat 10 includes one or more floor latches 20 (e.g., inboard andoutboard floor latches 20 a and 20 b, respectively) associated with theseat bottom 14 for locking the seat bottom 14 to the floor 12 (e.g., tostriker bars attached to or provided as part of the floor 12), and afold and tumble mechanism 22 configured to allow the seat 10 to performa fold and tumble operation, as explained below in detail, so that theseat 10 may move to a folded and tumbled position shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the recliner arrangement 18 may include firstand second recliner assemblies 24 a and 24 b located on inboard andoutboard sides, respectively, of the seat 10. The inboard side of theseat 10 is the side located closest to a center of the vehicle, and theoutboard side of the seat 10 is the side located furthest away from thecenter of the vehicle. Each recliner assembly 24 a, 24 b may include alower support member or bracket, such as a recliner bracket 26,connected to the seat bottom 14 (e.g., to a seat bottom frame 27), anupper support member or bracket, such as a back side member or bracket28, connected to the seat back 16 (e.g., to a seat back frame 29), and arecliner 30 connected to the recliner bracket 26 and the back sidebracket 28 and configured to allow the seat back 16 to pivot withrespect to the seat bottom 14. Alternatively, the recliner bracket 26may be considered part of the seat bottom 14, and the back side bracket28 may be considered part of the seat back 16. Referring to FIG. 4, therecliner 30 may be disposed between the recliner bracket 26 and the backside bracket 28. Furthermore, the recliner 30 may be any suitablerecliner such as a sector gear or a disk recliner that includes one ormore slidable pawls having teeth that are engageable with internal teethformed on a rotatable disk.

The recliner arrangement 18 may also include a biasing member, such as aspring 31, for urging the seat back 16 forwardly toward the seat bottom14. As shown in FIG. 4, the spring 31 may be positioned on an inner sideof the back side bracket 28, such that the back side bracket 28 isdisposed between the recliner 30 and the spring 31.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-5, the recliner arrangement 18further includes a shaft 32 (e.g., spline shaft) that extends betweenthe first and second recliner assemblies 24 a and 24 b, and a reclinerlever 34 connected to the second recliner assembly 24 b and the shaft 32for actuating both recliners 30 of the recliner assemblies 24 a, 24 b.The recliner lever 34 may include a lower handle 36, which may begrasped by an occupant of the seat 10 for reclining the seat back 16 orby someone desiring to execute a fold and tumble operation in order togain access behind the seat 10 (e.g., access to a third row seat), andan upper handle 38 that may be grasped by a vehicle occupant locatedbehind the seat 10 in order to perform a fold and tumble operation.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, the fold and tumble mechanism 22 includes asupport bracket 40 (e.g., one-piece support bracket) fixedly connected(e.g., welded, glued and/or fastened) to the back side bracket 28 of thefirst recliner assembly 24 a, an actuating member or cam 42 pivotallyconnected to the support bracket 40, and a rocker member or arm 44pivotally connected to the recliner bracket 26 of the first reclinerassembly 24 a. In the illustrated embodiment, the support bracket 40extends over the recliner bracket 26 such that the recliner bracket 26is disposed between the recliner 30 and the support bracket 40.

The rocker arm 44 is also connected to a latch cable 46 (e.g., Bowdencable) that is connected to or otherwise associated with at least one ofthe floor latches 20 a, 20 b. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, thelatch cable 46 includes a main portion that extends to a junction box48, and first and second output cables 50 a and 50 b, respectively, thatextend from the junction box 48 to the first and second floor latches 20a, 20 b, respectively. As explained below, the actuating cam 42 isengageable with the rocker arm 44 when the seat back 16 is pivotedforwardly to cause the rocker arm 44 to pivot and pull on the latchcable 46, which releases the floor latches 20 a and 20 b so that theseat bottom 14 may pivot upwardly.

Referring to FIG. 6, the actuating cam 42 may be pivotally connected tothe support bracket 40 in any suitable manner. For example, theactuating cam may be pivotally connected directly to the support bracketwith a pivot pin or shaft 52. Furthermore, the actuating cam 42 may be aone-piece component having any suitable shape, such as an L-shape. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the actuating cam 42 includes a firstportion or arm 54 that is engageable with the rocker arm 44, and asecond portion or arm 56 that extends at an angle with respect to thefirst arm 54 and is connected to a first biasing member, such as a firstcoil spring 58, which is also connected to the support bracket 40. Thefirst spring 58 is configured to bias or otherwise urge the actuatingcam 42 toward a first stop 60, which is attached to the support bracket40 and configured to inhibit or prevent pivotal movement of theactuating cam 42 (e.g., in a counterclockwise direction in theembodiment shown in FIG. 6) when the actuating cam 42 is engaged withthe first stop 60. Referring to FIG. 4, the first stop 60 may include apin 62 and a damping sleeve or cover 64, such as a plastic cover,positioned over the pin for reducing noise when the actuating cam 42contacts the first stop.

Likewise, the rocker arm 44 may be pivotally connected to the reclinerbracket 26 in any suitable manner, such as with a pivot pin or shaft 66.The rocker arm 44 may also be a one-piece component having an L-shapedconfiguration and includes an engagement member 68, such as a pin or pinassembly, that is engageable with the first arm 54 of the actuating cam42 when the seat back 16 is pivoted forwardly. Furthermore, theengagement member 68 may include a fixed striker pin 70 and a movablemember or cover, such as a metal sleeve or ring 72, disposed over thepin 70 and that is rotatable with respect to the pin 70 for providing amovable contact surface for the actuating cam 42. Such a configurationmay enable smooth operation of the fold and tumble mechanism 22 when theactuating cam 42 contacts the engagement member 68.

The fold and tumble mechanism 22 may further include a second biasingmember, such as a second coil spring 74, having a first end connected tothe recliner bracket 26 and a second end connected to the rocker arm 44.The second spring 74 is configured to bias or otherwise urge the rockerarm 44 toward a second stop 76, which is connected to the reclinerbracket 26 and configured to inhibit or prevent pivotal movement of therocker arm 44 (e.g., in a clockwise direction in the embodiment shown inFIG. 6) when the rocker arm 44 is engaged with the second stop 76. Inthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the second stop 76 includes a pin78 attached to the recliner bracket 26 and a damping sleeve or cover 80,such as a plastic cover, disposed over the pin 78 for reducing noisewhen the rocker arm 44 contacts the second stop 76.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the recliner bracket 26 includes amain body 82 and a projecting portion 84 that projects outwardly fromthe main body 82. The projecting portion 84 receives the latch cable 46and is connected to the first end of the second spring 74. Specifically,the projecting portion 84 receives an outer sleeve 86 of the latch cable46.

Referring to FIGS. 1-9, operation of the seat 10 will now be describedin more detail. When a vehicle occupant or someone outside of thevehicle desires to execute a fold and tumble operation, the reclinerlever 34 shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 may be rotated rearwardly to a singleactuated position to release both recliners 30 so that the seat back 16may fold forwardly due to spring force of the spring 31 (shown in FIG.4), which is connected between the seat back 16 and the seat bottom 14.As the seat back 16 pivots forwardly, the actuating cam 42 will contactthe engagement member 68 (e.g., the ring 72 of the engagement member 68)of the rocker arm 44 of the fold and tumble mechanism 22, as shown inFIG. 7, and cause the rocker arm 44 to pivot rearwardly away from thesecond stop 76, as shown in FIG. 8. The rocker arm 44 in turn pulls onthe latch cable 46, which releases the floor latches 20 a and 20 b fromthe vehicle floor 12 shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., movement of the latch cable46 causes a latch member of each floor latch 20 a, 20 b to move to anopen or released position). Referring to FIG. 9, continued forwardrotation of the seat back 16 toward the seat bottom 14 allows the firstarm 54 of the actuating cam 42 to move past the rocker arm 44 so thatthe rocker arm 44 may rotate forwardly to its design position againstthe second stop 76. Furthermore, after the floor latches 20 a and 20 bhave been released, the seat bottom 14 will tumble forwardly with theseat back 16, due to biasing force of a biasing member, such as a spring90 (shown schematically in FIG. 2), until the seat back 16 and seatbottom 14 achieve the folded and tumbled position shown in FIG. 2.

When it is desired to return the seat 10 to its use position, the seatback 16 and seat bottom 14 may be pivoted rearwardly until the floorlatches 20 a and 20 b re-engage or lock onto the floor-mounted strikers(e.g., the latch member of each floor latch 20 a, 20 b moves to a lockedposition beneath, adjacent to, or engaged with a corresponding striker).At this point, the seat back 16 may be kept in its folded position toprovide a load floor or support surface if desired, as shown in FIG. 10.Alternatively, the seat back 16 may be pivoted rearwardly to its designuse position shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 11, as the seat back 16 is pivoted rearwardly towardthe design use position, the actuating cam 42 will again contact theengagement member 68 (e.g., the ring 72 of the engagement member 68) ofthe rocker arm 44. Because the rocker arm 44 is prevented from rotatingforwardly by the second stop 76, the actuating cam 42 will rotateforwardly (e.g., clockwise in FIG. 12) away from the first stop 60, asshown in FIG. 12. After the actuating cam 42 passes the engagementmember 68 of the rocker arm 44, the actuating cam 42 will rotaterearwardly and return to its design position engaged with the first stop60 due to spring force of the first spring 58, as shown in FIG. 13.

The above configuration of the seat 10 allows for efficient movement ofthe seat 10 from the use position shown in FIG. 1 to the folded andtumbled position shown in FIG. 2 with a single actuation of the reclinerlever 34 (i.e., rotation of the recliner lever 34 to a single actuationpoint or position). Furthermore, the fold and tumble mechanism 22provides a cost-effective solution for enabling such movement of theseat 10.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, details of how the recliner lever 34 maybe attached to the recliner 30 of the second recliner assembly 24 b(e.g., outboard recliner assembly) are shown. In the illustratedembodiment, the recliner 30 includes a recliner hub 92 having a tubularportion 94, and the recliner lever 34 has a sleeve portion 96 that isconfigured to mate with the tubular portion 94 such that the reclinerlever 34 is prevented from rotating with respect to the recliner hub 92.For example, the sleeve portion 96 and tubular portion 94 may each havea flat surface section, and the flat surface sections may engage eachother to prevent relative rotation of the sleeve portion 96 and thetubular portion 94. As another example, one of the sleeve portion 96 andthe tubular portion 94 may have a key feature that is received in amating receptacle (e.g., slot) formed in the other of the sleeve portion96 and the tubular portion 94. Furthermore, the recliner arrangement 18may include a clip 98 (e.g., an Omega clip) received in a notch orgroove formed in the recliner lever sleeve portion 96 as well as a notchor groove formed in the tubular portion 94 of the recliner hub 92 suchthat the clip 98 secures the recliner lever 34 to the recliner hub 92.Referring to FIG. 15, the recliner hub 92 may be mounted on the shaft 32that extends between the first and second recliner assemblies 24 a and24 b. With such a configuration, the recliner lever 34 may be used toactuate both recliner assemblies 24 a and 24 b, as mentioned above indetail.

It should be noted that components of the seat 10 may be made of anysuitable material and in any suitable manner. For example, the supportbracket 40, actuating cam 42 and rocker arm 44 may each be made ofstamped metal, such as steel or aluminum.

Referring to FIG. 16, a second embodiment of an inboard portion of thevehicle seat is shown, and the second embodiment includes an alternativefold and tumble mechanism 22′ and an alternative first recliner assembly24 a′. The fold and tumble mechanism 22′ and the first recliner assembly24 a′ are similar to the fold and tumble mechanism 22 and the firstrecliner assembly 24 a, respectively. Furthermore, similar componentsare identified with similar reference numbers, except the referencenumbers for the fold and tumble mechanism 22′ and the first reclinerassembly 24 a′ each include a prime mark. In addition, the fold andtumble mechanism 22′ and the first recliner assembly 24 a′ function in asimilar manner as the above described components, such that furtherdetailed description of the operation of the fold and tumble mechanism22′ and the first recliner assembly 24 a′ is not necessary.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, actuating member or cam 42′ of thefold and tumble mechanism 22′ is pivotally attached directly to uppersupport member or back side bracket 28′. In addition, first biasingmember or spring 58′, which urges the actuating cam 42′ toward firststop 60′, has a first end connected to the back side bracket 28′ and asecond end connected to the actuating cam 42′. Likewise, first stop 60′is provided on the back side bracket 28′. With the above configuration,the support bracket 40 of the fold and tumble mechanism 22 has beeneliminated. Furthermore, back side bracket 28′ of the first reclinerassembly 24 a′ is positioned outwardly of recliner bracket 26′ (e.g.,further away from a center of the seat), and recliner 30′ is positionedbetween the recliner bracket 26 ‘ and the back side bracket 28’.

While the components may each have any suitable configuration, in theillustrated embodiment, the actuating cam 42′ is formed as a one-piececomponent having an elongated, generally linear shape. Likewise, therocker member or arm 44′ is formed as a one-piece component having agenerally T-shaped configuration.

Although not shown, the fold and tumble mechanism 22′ may also include asecond biasing member for urging the rocker arm 44′ toward second stop76′. For example, the fold and tumble mechanism 22′ may include a secondspring that is similar to the second spring 74 of the fold and tumblemechanism 22, or a second spring that is positioned around second pivotshaft 66′.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms according to thedisclosure. The words used in the specification are words of descriptionrather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments according to the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle seat comprising: a seat bottom; a seatback that is pivotable with respect to the seat bottom; a reclinerarrangement including a recliner bracket connected to the seat bottom, aback side bracket connected to the seat back, and a recliner connectedto the recliner bracket and the back side bracket and configured toallow the seat back to pivot with respect to the seat bottom; a floorlatch associated with the seat bottom; and a fold and tumble mechanismincluding a support bracket fixedly connected to the back side bracket,an actuating member pivotally connected to the support bracket, and arocker member pivotally connected to the recliner bracket and connectedto a latch cable associated with the floor latch, wherein the actuatingmember is engageable with the rocker member when the seat back ispivoted forwardly to cause the rocker member to pivot and pull on thelatch cable, which releases the floor latch so that the seat bottom maypivot upwardly; wherein the recliner is disposed between the reclinerbracket and the back side bracket, and the recliner bracket is disposedbetween the recliner and the support bracket.
 2. The vehicle seat ofclaim 1 wherein the recliner arrangement further includes a spring forurging the seat back forwardly, and wherein the back side bracket isdisposed between the recliner and the spring.
 3. The vehicle seat ofclaim 1 wherein the recliner is disposed on a first side of the vehicleseat, and wherein the recliner arrangement further includes anadditional recliner disposed on a second side of the vehicle seat, and arecliner lever connected to the additional recliner for actuating bothrecliners.
 4. The vehicle seat of claim 3 wherein the additionalrecliner includes a recliner hub having a tubular portion, and therecliner lever has a sleeve portion that mates with the tubular portionsuch that the recliner lever is inhibited from rotating with respect tothe recliner hub, and wherein the recliner arrangement further includesa clip received in a groove formed in the sleeve portion of the reclinerlever as well as a groove formed in the tubular portion of the reclinerhub such that the clip secures the recliner lever to the recliner hub.5. The vehicle seat of claim 3 wherein the recliner lever includes alower handle, which may be grasped by an occupant of the vehicle seatfor reclining the seat back or by someone desiring to execute a fold andtumble operation in order to gain access behind the vehicle seat, and anupper handle that may be grasped by a vehicle occupant located behindthe vehicle seat in order to perform a fold and tumble operation.
 6. Thevehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the fold and tumble mechanism furtherincludes a stop on the support bracket for inhibiting pivotal movementof the actuating member, and a coil spring having a first end connectedto the support bracket and a second end connected to the actuatingmember, wherein the coil spring is configured to urge the actuatingmember toward the stop.
 7. The vehicle seat of claim 6 wherein the stopincludes a pin connected to the support bracket and a damping coverdisposed over the pin for reducing noise when the actuating membercontacts the stop.
 8. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the fold andtumble mechanism further includes a stop on the recliner bracket forinhibiting pivotal movement of the rocker member, and a coil springhaving a first end connected to the recliner bracket and a second endconnected to the rocker member, wherein the coil spring is configured tourge the rocker member toward the stop.
 9. The vehicle seat of claim 8wherein the stop includes a pin connected to the recliner bracket and adamping cover disposed over the pin for reducing noise when the rockermember contacts the stop.
 10. The vehicle seat of claim 8 wherein therecliner bracket includes a main body and a projecting portion thatprojects outwardly from the main body, and wherein the projectingportion receives the latch cable and is connected to the first end ofthe coil spring.
 11. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the rockermember includes an engagement member that is engageable with theactuating member, and wherein the engagement member includes a pin and acover disposed over the pin and that is rotatable with respect to thepin for providing a movable contact surface for the actuating member.12. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the actuating member ispivotally connected to the support bracket at a location below arotational axis of the recliner when the seatback is in an upright useposition.
 13. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the support bracketextends over an upper end of the recliner when the seat back is in anupright use position.
 14. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein thesupport bracket extends over an upper end of the recliner bracket whenthe seat back is in an upright use position.
 15. The vehicle seat ofclaim 1 wherein a rotational axis of the recliner extends through thesupport bracket.
 16. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the supportbracket is a single piece part that is fixedly connected to the backside bracket, wherein the fold and tumble mechanism further includes astop on the support bracket for inhibiting pivotal movement of theactuating member, and a biasing member having a first end connected tothe support bracket and a second end connected to the actuating member,and wherein the biasing member is configured to urge the actuatingmember toward the stop.
 17. The vehicle seat of claim 16 wherein theactuating member is pivotally connected to the support bracket at alocation below a rotational axis of the recliner when the seatback is inan upright use position.
 18. The vehicle seat of claim 16 wherein thesupport bracket extends over an upper end of the recliner when the seatback is in an upright use position.
 19. The vehicle seat of claim 16wherein the support bracket extends over an upper end of the reclinerbracket when the seat back is in an upright use position.
 20. Thevehicle seat of claim 16 wherein a rotational axis of the reclinerextends through the support bracket.